


Singularity

by acestriker



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fake Science, Gen, Leadership, Shiro (Voltron) Has a Clone, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Team Dynamics, Team as Family, not season 4 compliant, the holt siblings are nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-22 10:19:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11965383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acestriker/pseuds/acestriker
Summary: Nothing feels right anymore, and Keith finds an unlikely ally in Matt Holt. Things go downhill from there. A face gets punched, and the team is in tatters.super defunct as of the release of s4.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually meant to be a one shot, but it's reeaaaaaalllllly late where I live so I'm going to finish up and post the second half tomorrow orz. please enjoy!

Ever since they found Shiro, something about the team didn't feel right anymore. There were the obvious parts--Shiro acting as the bridge commander instead of Allura, Keith as the head of Voltron, Lance as his right hand--but it was more than just that. Their entire balance was in chaos, Keith and Shiro's visions seemed to clash more and more, and even minor skirmishes were a mess of complications that never seemed to go right.

Major battles--battles that would actually help turn the tide against the Galra Empire--were few and far between, a fact which constantly had Keith on edge. He could be reckless, and at times even anxious, but he was not a paranoid person, and it was getting increasingly more difficult to ignore the unease twisting in his stomach. ... Shiro didn't agree. He kept telling Keith he was just being too impatient, too greedy, and what could he do? Keith had never wanted to lead the team anyway. Shiro was just ... _better._ He had it more together, was a better team player, knew what he was doing, was calm and patient and could see things that Keith couldn't see. Following him was a no-brainer.

... Or at least, it should have been. Why did it hurt so much, lately?

That was probably why he found himself here, knocking on the door to Matt's room. Matt was a good ally: smart, resourceful, and best of all, he'd given them connections to rebel outposts that would be invaluable in the war effort effort. Other than that, Keith didn't know too much about him. They'd only ever spoken in strategy meetings, and whenever there wasn't work being done, Pidge was glued to her brother's side. Keith usually felt like he shouldn't bother them.

"Keith, right? What can I do for you?" Matt asked. He looked about as surprised as Keith felt that they were talking outside of a meeting.

"I was hoping I could get some advice," Keith responded awkwardly. "About Shiro."

Matt raised an eyebrow, and Keith couldn't blame him for a second. It was unusual for anyone to seek the help of someone they barely knew, but Keith barely felt comfortable opening up to his closest friends sometimes, and this gave things that special push from uncomfortable to almost agonizing. Maybe that spoke measures of how desperate he was. But, despite the look he'd given him, Matt invited Keith in anyway, inviting him to have a seat on the bed.

Matt settled into a desk chair, and eyed Keith critically. "Before I ask what's up, I think there's something I should ask you."

"Yeah?"

"So, you're here about something to do with Shiro?" Keith nodded, and Matt continued, "Have you tried talking to _him_ about it?"

".... No," Keith admitted, starting to feel even more stupid. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Is that because you don't want to, or you feel like you can't?" Matt pressed.

... This guy really didn't pull his punches, did he? It was blunt, on the nose, and almost even invasive considering how little they knew each other, but somehow, it made Keith feel a little more relaxed. "I guess both?" he wondered aloud. Honestly, he had no idea. Something about Shiro made him uncomfortable right now, but he hadn't taken the time to fully examine what.

Matt paused thoughtfully with this information. His observation, however, was not one one that Keith was expecting. "... You don't feel like you can trust him right now."

"Of course I trust him!" Keith snapped, jumping to his feet. "He's our leader! I--... _We_ need him."

"Hmm." Matt sounded wholly unimpressed. "I think if you did, you'd be telling him what's on your mind instead of me."

"I... can't," Keith muttered weakly, letting himself slump back onto the bed. "He's already dealing with too much on his own. He doesn't have time to babysit me."

"... Is that what you think it is?" Both Matt eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Seems more like he's trying to control you, to me."

"But it's my fault. I'm not a good enough leader for the team."

"Oh boy...." Matt adjusted his glasses, trying to pause to think. "I admit I'm new to the whole concept of Voltron, but as far I know, you _are_ the leader and there's a reason for it. So maybe you should ditch the whole inferiority complex."

A noise of frustration escaped Keith throat. "That's not what I meant. It's not that I feel insecure about it, I just don't want it period. I never have. But Shiro? He _needs_ this."

"Alright, I think I get it. You feel good enough for the team, but not good enough for Shiro. Is that it?" Matt questioned.

Keith nodded. "More or less. It seems like nothing I do is ever enough anymore. You're the only person who's known him longer than I have, so I thought you might have some insight."

"... Well, maybe," Matt thought aloud. "But there's something I don't get. Why do you feel like Shiro needs to lead you guys? Because that's what you're used to?"

"Because he needs to feel like there's a part of his life he still has some control over," Keith responded quietly, staring down at the floor.

"Imprisonment can do that, yes," Matt agreed awkwardly. "But aside from how he's coming down on you, he still seems like the same old Shiro to me. I do think it's amazing that you're trying to take care of him, because he's not normally the kind of guy who will let people be stronger than him, but are you sure you're not being overprotective?"

"They're his words, not mine," Keith said shaking his head. "He.... kind of broke down in from of the Black Lion. He didn't know I was there." He felt guilty for voicing it to anyone, but Matt had been teamed up with Shiro long before Keith, so if anyone knew him well enough to be tactful about this...

".... Oh. Well then." A tense silence settled over the room. Matt licked his lips, and ended up giving a frustrated shrug. "Look, Keith. You seem like a nice guy, so I have to warn you. I really don't think you're going to like my advice."

"Tell me anyway," Keith said firmly. If there was something else he could be doing, he had to know.

"Well, alright, but you asked for it," Matt sighed. "Honestly, and I'm saying this as his friend, I'd tell him to fuck off. Don't let him be your shadow leader anymore."

"And just... let him suffer on his own? You _can't_ be serious," Keith breathed. "I thought you guys were best friends?"

"He needs to learn to cope without dragging you down with him. It sounds like he's really just coming after you to feel better about himself, and you have _got_ to stop letting him. You don't deserve it, and ultimately, you're hurting him more than you're helping him," Matt sad sharply.

Keith stared at the floor in silence. He could see what Matt was saying, but punching down Shiro when he was still vulnerable from being imprisoned a second time? .... He couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right.

Matt just shook his head helplessly. If Keith didn't want to follow his advice, he couldn't force him to, so it wouldn't be worth saying more. "Since we're already talking about awkward emotional stuff, mind if I tell you a secret?" he asked instead.

"I... guess?" Keith responded. He supposed it was fair, but he had no idea what Matt could possibly want to tell _him._

"Thing is.... If it were anybody but Shiro who came back, I'm not sure if I'd trust them at all."

Keith immediately frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I was in those prison camps for a long time," Matt explained. "And the Galra.... They do things to people. The people they took from camp were never quite the same. Some of them got really bad Stockholm Syndrome. Some of them... It was like they were brainwashed. Not even the same person. Those sorts of things. All we were doing was mining, but they liked to throw us emotional wrenches like that to keep us subjugated."

"... I don't think Shiro's the kind of guy to give in to torture," Keith pointed out, his voice quiet.

"I know." Matt squeezed his eyes shut. "Shiro is the reason I'm alive right now. I feel guilty even thinking about it."

"Well.... You've both been through a lot," Keith responded awkwardly. He felt like he should offer some advice in return, but he honestly didn't have any. Matt had been a slave, and Shiro had been through more death and torture than they could possibly ever imagine. What was he supposed to say to that?

"Sorry," Matt muttered, lifting his glasses to wipe at his eyes with his sleeve. "I guess what I was trying to say is, I'm worried about Shiro, too. I know he's supposed to be my best friend and all, but I can't support him doing shitty things to people he cares about. ... I've got your back."

Matt stood and offered a hand, which Keith gripped firmly, solidifying their new.... whatever it was. Friendship, he guessed? It hadn't exactly helped with his issues with Shiro, since Matt's advice wasn't something he could follow right now, but he couldn't say he hadn't gained anything from it, either. It was.... nice, having someone who understood his worries. The others were important to him too, but he really wasn't sure they'd understand. Not in this case.


	2. Chapter 2

After their first conversation, Keith and Matt slowly started spending more time together, a fact which surprised both of them, as they quickly grew to learn that they had nothing in common. Matt was as much of a tech wizard as his sister, had a quick wit, a sharper tongue, and was bizarrely emotionally astute. Keith? Keith was none of these things. He was quiet, impulsive, awkward, simultaneously passionate yet really terrible at coping with having emotions, and had virtually no ability to read a room. Matt felt most at home with a keyboard in his hands; Keith felt most at home with a sword in his hands. Matt was a straight-talker; Keith _hated_ bringing up whatever was on his mind unless he really had to. Naturally, almost all their conversations tended to drift to the few things they did have in common: The Galaxy Garrison. Shiro. By all rights it should have been weird, but somehow it just worked.

Tonight, though, Keith just wanted to be alone. He was in the training hall, trying to swing his sword until his body screamed, and he pushed through every last ache as hard he could. There’d been another fight over how to handle the team, and though he knew at some point he had to say _something_ , he couldn’t bring himself to confront Shiro. Especially since he knew that every time it got out of hand, Shiro came to apologize, and every time he did, somehow it hurt even more. ... So Keith fought. This time, he wanted to be too exhausted for the disappointment to sting so much.

The first person to find him wasn’t Shiro, however. It was Matt, who was eying him up and down with critical eyes. “.... You look like shit,” he pronounced.

“Feel like it,” Keith muttered. He noticed Matt had his rifle, though, which was unusual. “Do you want to go a few rounds?” he asked. He had to admit, he was curious how he preformed.

Matt considered this, but ended up shaking his head. “... Pass,” he said. “Shiro always kicked my ass back at the Garrison. I’ve picked up some tricks since then, but I kinda get the feeling you would, too.”

“The sentries already did the hard part,” Keith pointed out.

“That’s even worse. I may have had the worst combat scores in my class, but even I couldn’t deal with losing to a guy who was _already_ beat up. Couldn’t live with the shame.” Matt shook his head, although it had a distinctly sardonic quality to it.

Keith snorted. “If you’re not here to train, what did you want?”

“Just wanted to see how you were doing,” Matt told him. “Better than the training dummies, apparently,” he remarked, gesturing to the current mess of a training hall.

“....Why?” Keith asked, frowning.

“Well, since he only opens the channel to _you_ , and Coran’s always busy operating the castle, I’m the only one who gets to hear Shiro put you through the wringer,” Matt shrugged.

Keith shook his head. “Well, I deserved it. ... I always mess it up.”

“No, you didn’t. You can’t lead like Shiro because you’re not Shiro, you’re Keith, and it’s seriously about time both of you realize that. .... Honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t. He was never like this about you before,” Matt sighed.

Keith looked up in surprise. “What do you mean? You weren’t even here before.”

“No, I’m talking about even earlier. Back at the Garrison, he used to to talk about you all the time,” Matt laughed. “‘Matt,’ he’d say, ‘I think this guy’s really going to be something special. Maybe he’ll even surpass me, one day.’ .... I never believed him, to be honest, but I guess I should have. Shiro was always really good at picking out the special ones.”

“And I’m special?” Keith wondered aloud.

“Especially dense, apparently. Are you sure you don’t have self-esteem issues? Because I’m pretty sure being the head of a sentient robot destined to save the universe is basically the definition of special.”

Keith raised his hands in defeat. “Point taken. ... I just can’t believe he was saying that even back then.”

“You were his favorite protégé. He used to talk about how excited he was for you to graduate so we could work together on official missions. I guess it didn’t go quite that way, but I’m glad we’re working together now.”

“.... Yeah, me too,” Keith pronounced. It was a strange feeling. Pidge and Shiro both mentioned Matt from time to time, but Keith had never thought much about him. If the situation were more normal, would they even bother talking much?

“.... You guys look like you’ve been getting along well.”

Apparently, they’d been so engrossed in their conversation they hadn’t noticed Shiro entering the room. Something in his expression was uneasy—disapproving, almost—as he glanced between them, and Keith could feel a knot beginning to form in his stomach already. .... Here it came. Another uncomfortable lecture, always accompanied by an equally uncomfortable apology.

“Do you mind if I talk to Keith alone for a minute?” Shiro asked quietly.

Matt made a glance to Keith, who looked.... miserable, and sighed. “Look, Shiro. Haven’t you been hard enough on him? This... doesn’t seem very healthy.” He gestured between them, hoping the air of tension would speak for itself.

“No, I haven’t,” Shiro said firmly. “This isn’t like the Garrison. Do you have _any_ idea how many lives are depending on us? I don’t like doing this, but the universe is at stake. I _can’t_ let things like that slide.”

Matt was not a large man, especially compared to Shiro, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have the guts to get in Shiro’s face. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” he shot back hotly. “You’re not the only one who’s been a Galra prisoner. Don’t you _dare_ lecture me on how important saving the universe is.”

“I—” Shiro looked as though he’d just been slapped. “.... You’re right. I’m sorry. I haven’t been myself. ... I’m sorry to you too, Keith.”

“Yeah,” Keith muttered awkwardly. The response was automatic; he was a little too concerned about the sudden tension between Shiro and Matt to be very worried about his own apology.

What... the hell just happened here? ... This didn’t seem right.

Matt relaxed suddenly, seeming to shrug it off. “Look, I’m going to forgive you this time because you’ve been through hell, and I know you’re trying to readjust. But that doesn’t give you a free pass. Don’t do it again, okay?”

“Yeah, of course not.” Shiro smiled. “Thanks for talking some sense into me, Matt. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Anytime,” Matt nodded. He was smiling, but there was still something hard in his eyes, and even Keith could see it. He reached a hand out, somehow feeling like he should stop Shiro from leaving, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come. So when the door closed, he turned to Matt instead.

“... What was that?” he asked. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this didn’t line up.

“Unlike you, I actually defend myself,” Matt shrugged. “I know it’s hard because it’s Shiro, and I can tell he means a lot to you, but seriously, Keith. Start sticking up for yourself. Would you let anyone else talk about you like that?”

“... Probably not,” Keith admitted. But it was like Matt said: it was _Shiro_. It wasn’t like it was something like Lance blowing smoke for no reason.

“Well, there you go. Trust me, I know it’s easy to worship the guy, but that doesn’t mean there’s not bad parts to him. He’s not perfect. Stop treating him like he is.”

“Uh.... Yeah.” Keith knew what Matt was saying, and on some level, he knew that he was right, but he still felt like his head was reeling. Like he’d escaped reality, and he couldn’t understand why.

“...There’s something I need to discuss with Katie,” Matt told him. There was was that hard look in his eyes again, and Keith was finding that he desperately wanted to know what it meant. “But you can come find me later, if you want.”

“Sure,” Keith responded, and then he was alone again. Something was tearing at him, and before he knew it, he was running after Shiro again. .... Maybe it was finally time to have a conversation he’d been putting off. He left the room himself, running so that he could catch up.

“Shiro, wait!” he called. Shiro stopped and waited for him, eying him in surprise, and Keith paused to find his words. “Is everything alright?” he settled on. “It... got kind of weird back there.”

“... Yeah, I’m fine,” Shiro nodded. “It’s like Matt said, I’m still adjusting. ... I thought being back would easier than this.” He gave a soft, sad smile, and Keith felt his heart seize in his chest.

“I know what you mean,” Keith responded quietly. At this point, he would’ve given anything for things to go back to the way they were. Maybe that way, Shiro could stop hurting and they could stop all the heel digging and stubbornness and everything could feel _normal_ again.

“You and Matt seem like you’re getting along well, though,” Shiro observed. “I always figured you guys would either love or hate each other. I’m glad it’s the former.”

The words were friendly enough, but there was something in Shiro’s expression Keith couldn’t identify, and something about it seemed ... strange, and Keith had to swallow thickly. “I... guess? We get along, but we’re not close or anything. All we ever seem to talk about is you.” Matt did tend to talk to him like they were old friends and like he was entitled to stick his nose in his business, and for whatever reason, Keith was content to let him, but that didn’t mean they were best friends.

“Really?” Shiro raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Nothing bad, I hope.”

“.... Of course not.” Although Keith couldn’t quite look him in the eye as he said that. It.... wasn’t actually true. It wasn’t like they’d been dragging Shiro through the mud, either, but some of their conversations about him had been fairly tense, and Keith couldn’t help but feel guilty. Shiro... deserved to be the first person he came to, and Keith had failed to do that.

“Keith.” Shiro clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “I know I’ve been coming down pretty hard on you lately, and I’m sorry. You don’t deserve it.”

“No, I...” Keith paused, trying to find his words. “I respect your opinions, and you’re entitled to step in when I’m doing something wrong. I just.... wish all this could be easier.” Or that they could see more eye to eye. Sometimes when Shiro admonished him he couldn’t seem to fight off the feeling that he’d been doing the right thing all along, but Shiro was so much more of a leader than he was, so if he didn’t think Keith was choosing the correct path, he had to be right.

.... Right?

_It sounds like he’s really just coming after you to feel better about himself, and you’ve got to stop letting him._

Matt’s words echoed in his mind, and he exhaled a breath. Shiro.... wasn’t like that. There were some issues right now, yes, but the reason he was being so hard on him was because it meant so much to him, and because he believed in Keith’s abilities. ... Or so Keith wanted so believe.

“I know,” Shiro told him quietly. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

It was a weird sensation. It was the most normal Keith had felt around Shiro in a very long time, but seeing him like this still hurt. He felt like he had to do something.

“... Shiro, listen.” How did he put this...? “Maybe.... You should take a break? You’ve been through a lot. Everyone would understand.”

“You want me out of the way.” Almost instantly, the air between them changed. Shiro was suddenly cold and guarded in a way that Keith had never seen before, not once in the years he’d known him, and he had no idea what to make of it.

“What? I’m just worried about you. You... You’ve been acting really weird lately.” That wasn’t so wrong, was it? Why was Shiro acting like it was?

“So you can take even more from me?” Shiro pressed.

Where was all this anger coming from? This wasn’t like Shiro at all. “I... don’t understand,” Keith managed to say. He couldn’t even keep up with this anymore.

“It’s bad enough that the Black Lion doesn’t listen to me anymore. It’s bad enough I’m being pushed out of the group because I’m too broken and useless. But you and Matt, two of the closest friends I’ve ever had, suddenly conspiring against me? What do I do with that, Keith? Am I not allowed to have anything, or anyone? Am I just going to be discarded like yesterday’s garbage?”

Keith felt like he could barely breathe. “No!” he shouted. “It’s not like that! You—”

The next thing he knew, there was a burst of air that seemed to slice through his skin. He couldn’t quite feel it, but he was vaguely aware that there was a stinging sensation deep in his cheek, and his upper lip was slick. Maybe it had something do with the fact that his nose didn’t seem to feel right anymore. Keith gingerly lifted a hand to his face and held it out in front of himself.

... His fingers were stained with blood.

  
  


Shiro just punched him.

  
  


_Shiro_ just punched him.

  
  


Shiro just _punched _ him.

  
  


In that moment, Keith knew. Matt had been right all along.

“... Keith. I—...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I—” Once he realized what he’d done, Shiro started to panic.

But he was too late. Keith was already gone.

***

As it turned out, recreating waveforms purely from memory rather than copying them from specific scans was both time consuming and inaccurate, especially if what you were looking for was subtle. Matt, however, had an eye for details, and could map out particle waves in his sleep, so he was more than confident that his diagrams were correct.

“Katie, could you scan the ship for this for me?” he asked. “You’re more familiar with this Altean technology than I am.”

Pidge eyed the diagrams in curiosity, never having seen anything quite like the ones Matt had given her. “Sure, but it’s not going to be very accurate,” she responded. “If you give me some more parameters, Hunk and I could make a device to pinpoint it. ... What is this, anyway? I’ve never seen elements like these.”

“... Just a personal project. I don’t need to know where the signature is emanating from, specifically, I just need to know if it’s on the ship at all,” Matt shrugged.

“Well, that should be easy enough, but it’s going to take a while. I’m still going to need to amplify the signal. It’s more of a general-purpose scan, and these diagrams you gave me are oddly specific,” Pidge explained.

“... Here, let me help. I don’t know how to use these terminals yet, but I already know the formula we need.” Matt made a grab for Pidge’s laptop and started inputting lines of code and formulaic equations comfortably in English, instead of wading through a slog of characters he was unfamiliar with. He was sure he could figure it out easily enough, but these scans were too important to spend the extra time on.

Pidge watched over his shoulder, and her brows shot up. “.... Matt, this is incredible. You’re using the wave particles within the ship to cancel out the interference. How did you come up with this?”

“Desperate measures,” Matt explained. “In the mining colony where I was being held, we converted some of the mining equipment into personnel detectors to help us escape, but the magnetic frequency of the metals in the caves made them almost impossible to use. These equations were the solution.”

“Have I ever told you that you’re the coolest brother ever? These numbers are _beautiful_ ,” Pidge said in awe. She was practically glowing at the screen in front of her. “Hand me my laptop. I’m going to get to work on these diagrams.” Matt stepped aside as Pidge expertly keyed in the waveforms he’d mapped out. She pulled up a map of the castle on the Altean terminal and let the castle scanners do the rest of the work. Spots of red began to appear on the map with each sweep.

“Since you hand drew everything, I modified the program to compensate for a greater margin of error,” Pidge explained. “It’s color coded. Red is definitely not, orange is unlikely, yellow is maybe, and green is a positive match.”

The map seemed to grow brighter with every pass. Bright streaks of yellow could be seen in some of the hallways, seeming to trace their way to a cluster of green that shifted slightly on every pass, like it was moving.

“... No,” Matt breathed. “It can’t be.”

“What can’t be? What exactly were you looking for?” Pidge asked him.

Matt’s shoulders slumped. “A problem,” he said tersely.

Before Pidge could coax more information out of him, the door hissed open, and Keith strode in. A trail of blood dripped from his nose, and the right side of his face was swollen into a nasty shades of of red and purple.

“Keith? What _happened_ to you?” Pidge squeaked.

He ignored her. “Matt, I need your help. ... I think I’m finally ready to take your advice.” His voice was sharp, dripping with a cold, piercing anger.

“Did he...?” Matt asked cautiously, gesturing to Keith’s wound with his eyes.

“Yes.” That was all Keith had to say on the matter.

“ _Shit_ ,” Matt hissed. “... Keith, listen. This is way beyond just telling him off. You know that, right?”

“... I do, and we’re finished. I’m not doing this anymore.”

Pidge was overwhelmed. She glanced between Matt and Keith, who obviously knew something that she didn’t, but the air between them was so tense she was too afraid to ask what they were talking about.

“Alright,” Matt nodded. “There’s something else you should know, though.”

“Tell me later. I have to do this now.” Keith’s tone left absolutely no room for argument.

Sensing there was nothing else he could say, Matt turned to his sister instead. “Katie, save those scans and come with us. We’re about to do something really unpleasant,” Matt said softly.

“.... Okay,” she agreed warily. She had no idea what was going on and didn’t exactly have a good feeling about it, but she also felt like it wasn’t her place to argue right now.

In short order, they had everyone gathered on the bridge, and the air in the room was distressing, to say the least. Everyone had come to expect Shiro standing by Keith’s side; that was just the way things worked. Instead, it was Matt, and Shiro was sitting removed from the group as if he didn’t belong in it, looking more tired than anyone had seen him in a long time. Everyone kept glancing at the blood on Keith’s face that he had never bothered to wipe off, but he radiated so much cold that nobody could bring themselves to ask about it.

“Guys, I have an announcement,” Keith said firmly. “I’m... kicking Shiro out of the group. He can stay here, but he doesn’t get to make any decisions anymore.”

The room exploded into chaos. And why shouldn’t it have? Everyone had grown to accept Keith as their leader, but Shiro was different. There wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t look up to him or respect him, and maybe on some level, they all thought of Keith’s position as temporary. Shiro was their real leader, and one day, he’d be back in charge. ... They’d all thought it to a certain degree.

It was Lance’s voice that cut above the others. “Dude, _come on._ Are you insane? Like, trust me, I know how weird everything’s been, but this is Shiro you’re talking about. You can’t just do that!”

“Maybe you’ve all forgotten,” Keith responded icily, “but we don’t get to pick our leader. The Black Lion chose _me._ ”

It was a strange scene. Everyone started arguing again, but Shiro, who was sitting right there with all of them, didn’t even look up to say a word for or against his defense, and even when they looked to him, he just shook his head, declining to have any say in the matter. It was almost like he’d already accepted his fate and the discussion was just a formality.

For Pidge, though, something wasn’t adding up. Debating the mechanics of Voltron was all and fine, but there was one detail that everyone seemed to be leaving out. “Keith, you never answered my question,” she interjected quietly. “What happened to your face?”

That brought an entirely different kind of tension to room. Everyone feel silent, looking to Keith expectantly, but he made no move to answer, instead trying to stare a hole into the floor. There was an audible sigh as Matt stepped forward and gripped Keith’s shoulder.

“He hit him,” he said bluntly. He stared Shiro directly in the face in silent accusation as he said it, daring him to come forward and take responsibility for his actions. Shiro didn’t claim the injury as one he made, but he made no move to defend himself, either, and his continued silence was all anyone needed to know that Matt was telling the truth.

“What...? Shiro, how could you?” It was hard to say whose voice it belonged to; they were all thinking the same thing.

“... I lost control,” Shiro said quietly. “Keith is right; I deserve to be punished.”

“Will you stop doing that!?” Keith ground out. The anger from before was starting to disintegrate, and there was an almost desperate edge to his voice now. “It’s not about punishing you!”

Nobody was sure what to do with any of this anymore. It was beginning to feel too much like they’d suddenly descended into a civil war they’d never asked for, and both Shiro and Keith were important to them. It didn’t feel like a decision they could make.

“... Look, guys. I know I’m not a Paladin, so I get zero say in all this,” Matt told them. “But there’s a very real reason you can’t let Shiro stay here anymore.” Everyone looked to Matt in total shock, and he continued. “Katie, could you pull up those scans we took?” Matt was usually a master of biting comments, but right now, he just sounded tired and sad beyond measure.

Pidge nodded numbly, pulling up the diagrams Matt had mapped out and the scans they’d took of the ship displaying the concentrations of waveforms he’d specified.

“This is going to take a lot of explanation, but bear with me, okay?” Matt warned. “You know there’s really no such thing as an identical twin, right? Two people born from the same egg will always show subtle differences. Different fingerprints, different phenotypes, subtle differences in genetics. The environment will shape them differently, as well. No two people are going to be doing _exactly_ the same things, and that will also affect the expression of their genes.

“That’s true of people and objects, both on a broad scale and at the atomic level. Every body in the universe—which is to say, all matter—has a individual harmonic resonance that’s as unique as a fingerprint. All matter is in motion to a certain degree, and it oscillates between certain points to maintain equilibrium. Harmonic resonance is a combination of the measurement of those oscillations, how they’re affected by the environment, and vice versa; how their vibrations are affecting the world around them. Essentially, nothing in the universe is going to have exactly the same vibrations or frequencies due to those environmental factors. In some cases, it’s too subtle to ever be quantified, especially at a subatomic level, but with things like planets, or even people, it can be measured pretty easily if you know what you’re looking for. Which brings me to this.”

Matt gestured at the diagrams he’d created, and continued. “I discovered these signatures in the Galra prison camp where I was being held. We were trying to make a bioscanner of sorts to help us escape, and during the testing phases, I started to notice something odd. The Galra... liked to experiment, and a lot of people were never the same when they came back. They _seemed_ the same, but if you looked closely, they’d think and behave differently. At first, I thought it was due to psychological scarring, but as I was testing my scanner, I started to notice that all the people they sent back had strange signatures, which is to say, their most basic harmonic resonance had _changed_. And the thing is? These signatures aren’t characteristic of living beings. The way the atoms oscillate isn’t natural, it’s machine-like, like the individual matter was programmed to coalesce in a certain way instead of flowing naturally with environmental cues. ... And that’s exactly the signature I found on this ship.”

“Wait, so, you’re saying their harmonic resonance changed? I thought that wasn’t possible on that level,” Hunk thought aloud.

“It isn’t,” Matt responded pointedly.

“.... Oh.” Hunk and Pidge both went pale, but everyone else looked completely lost.

“Uh, guys? Could we translate this to English, please?” Lance complained.

“It means,” Pidge said quietly, “that the real Shiro never came back.”

“.... You tried to warn me about this,” Keith realized in sudden horror. Why hadn’t he taken anything Matt said seriously back then?

“Yes and no,” Matt sighed. “I... didn’t want to believe it either, so I didn’t give you the full story. I’m sorry, Keith.”

“.... I think I’ve heard enough.” Shiro stood suddenly, angry, confused, and like he had no idea what to hold on to. “Keith. I know I’ve been stepping on your toes, and I understand if you want me out of your way. But this joke is going way too far. I can’t believe either of you would do this.”

“Do you really get to say that after the right hook you gave him?” Matt interjected. “You didn’t just punch him, you punched him seriously. If the angle had been a little different, you probably could have killed him. As for the rest, I’m afraid it’s no joke. You are not Takashi Shirogane. You’re a copy. On the most basic genetic level, you’re actually more like his twin brother.”

“Then why do I have the same memories?” Shiro protested. “Matt, think about what you’re saying!”

“... This isn’t a debate of ideologies,” Matt responded. “It’s a debate of facts, which are on my side. Shiro’s been in the cryostasis pods before, right? All we have do is compare his original scans with yours. The variance will be subtle, but there should be just enough to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you’re _not_ the same person.”

“Then do it,” Shiro ordered. “I’m calling your bluff.”

What could anyone do but listen? The world was moving too fast right now, and some things just had to be seen to be believed. If they preformed the scan, they could figure out what was real, and then, just maybe, they could all wake up from this nightmare. They shuffled into the cyropod room, and Coran diligently preformed the scan. Pidge overlayed the old and new scans on a monitor and let the computer system compile the differences. Things... didn’t look good.

“... Matt was right,” she pronounced. “It isn’t Shiro. Not quite.”

That left a very real question: what did they do now? That led to the one of the most painful discussions the paladins had ever had. They could freeze the imposter. They could eject him into space. They could kill him. Maybe they could just leave him be? Anything and everything in-between came up, and by the end of it, “Shiro” was laughing, hollow, empty, and considering the situation, a little terrifying.

“I guess I was right,” he told told Keith, still half laughing. “You really did take everything from me. I just never thought you’d be able to take away my _identity_ too.”

It was strange. Somewhere deep down Keith felt like he should _really_ hate this person. He’d been thwarting him from the very beginning, making him question his decisions, his skills, sometimes even his self worth. He broke the team apart in such a subtle way nobody had ever questioned it, and he’d kept them from finding the real Shiro. Yet, Keith couldn’t be angry about it anymore. Instead, he felt like his heart was breaking.

“Let’s just put him in the brig until we figure out what to do,” Keith told them. “We don’t know how much of a connection he has to the Galra, but he’s still a person. We can’t hurt him.”

A room full of wary eyes shot to their impostor, who just shrugged. “... Go ahead. I won’t resist. ... I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

The walk to the brig was relatively short, so Keith and Matt accompanied the prisoner on their own. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to do, since they’d been the most close to the real Shiro. Keith was the one who ended up locking the door behind him.

“You’re wrong, you know,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t trying to take anything. I never wanted to lead this group, and I never understood why Shiro wanted me to. I just... don’t really have a choice right now. We’re barely holding on, and if I’m the only thing that can keep us together until Shiro gets back, I have to do it. ... I can’t let him down.”

“He thought he could rely on you. ... If my memories are even right. Who knows anymore,” the man behind the bars responded. Keith could only give a weak nod. He didn’t know what to say to that, and he felt like if he tried to respond, he might cry. It would be better for everyone if he remained silent.

“Nobody hates you, you know,” Matt said. “We just don’t know what to do right now, and that’s not your fault. You didn’t ask to exist.”

“...And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” the imposter responded.

“I guess not,” Matt conceded. “But just remember. You’re as much of a victim of the Galra as anyone. ... You’re not going to be in here forever.”

“I don’t mind.” It was strangely honest in a way that left all three of them surprised, even Shiro’s imposter, though he was the one saying it. “It’ll give me time to think about who I am.”

There was nothing else left for any of them to say, so Matt and Keith stepped into the hall.

“... I don’t know if I did the right thing,” Keith admitted. It felt wrong to even lock the man up, like they should be giving him more of a chance, but who knew if he was a Galra spy or if they had a way to track him, and maybe the only reason Keith hurt so much for him was because he happened to wear his best friend’s face. They were all things he had no real way of knowing.

“Honestly, I don’t have a clue,” Matt admitted. “I think your choice was the best compromise we had between kind and pragmatic, but time can only tell if you were _too_ kind. ... For what it’s worth, I think the real Shiro would be proud of you, though. He always had a thing for believing in people.”

“How did you know it wasn’t him?” Keith asked in curiosity.

“I didn’t,” Matt shrugged. “I just had a suspicion that something wasn’t right. Shiro... He’s kind, patient, and supportive. That’s part of the reason I always looked up to him so much. But whenever he talked to you, I wasn’t seeing that anymore, and it made me kind of angry. I felt like I lost my best friend.”

“Yeah, I did too, but...” How could he put this? “I didn’t realize that anything was wrong until it literally hit me in the face.”

“.... Hey. Don’t do that.” Matt’s voice was sharp. “I know you’re thinking something kind of like, ‘Shiro’s my friend, so I should have known something didn’t add up.’ But I swear if you start beating yourself up for feeling like you don’t know him well enough, I’m going to punch you myself.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Keith protested. “ _You_ noticed. Why didn’t I?”

“No, it’s not. The only difference between you and me is that I’ve seen some really messed up stuff and I had better idea of what to look for,” Matt admonished. “I can tell Shiro means a lot to you, because I feel the same way, but the thing is, sometimes when you really care about someone, it can blind you to their bad spots. Do you regret caring about Shiro? Do you think it’s a bad thing?” Keith shook his head. “Well, good. Then don’t get down on yourself for it. Just realize that even the most amazing people can be shitty sometimes, and don’t let it blindside you again.”

“... I guess you’re right,” Keith agreed. “How do you always manage to stay so ...” Calm? Positive? Realistic? They were a myriad of things he could use to fill that blank, all of which felt close, yet not quite correct.

“What, the blunt jerk thing? It’s... more of a coping mechanism. I’m not as well-adjusted as you think I am,” Matt shrugged.

Keith shook his head in astonishment. This guy was really something else. Who said something like that so casually? “You mean like Shiro always working himself to death?” he asked.

Matt groaned. “ _Ugh_ , don’t even get me started. That guy is the _worst_. He acts like he’s so open and honest, but he really just puts his issues on the back burner and carries on like they don’t exist and like everyone else is more important than he is. I _hate_ it when he does that. You seem more like a sulk on your own kinda guy, which isn’t healthy either, but I can respect it. At least your acknowledge when you’re having a tough time. Shiro? He doesn’t even allow himself that most of the time.”

“I know,” Keith agreed. “I hate it, too. It only ever comes out when he’s suffering the most, and even then, he still tries to keep it together for everyone. Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever be half as strong as he is.”

“... Yeah, I know what you mean. Shiro has that effect on people,” Matt sighed, his voice more soft than before. “... I really miss him.”

“I do too,” Keith agreed. “But.... I’ll find him, this time. I have to.”

“Well, that’s reassuring. I think if anyone can, it’s you.”

“... Why?” Keith turned to Matt in surprise. “I didn’t really do anything for you to think much of me.”

“Not really, no,” Matt agreed honestly. “But there’s something about you. I think I can see what Shiro sees in you. It’s hard to explain, but I guess... it’s like I can I trust you to get the job done. And I do. I haven’t seen him be wrong about anyone yet.”

“... Oh.” Keith.... really didn’t know how to respond to that. “I’ll try not to let you down?”

“If you do, I’ll make you regret it,” Matt responded. Keith honestly couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

“You’re one of the weirdest people I’ve ever met,” he snorted.

“But you love me, right?” Matt grinned.

“... Kinda,” Keith admitted. “I never thought I’d be as close to anyone as I am to Shiro. But here we are.”

Matt chuckled. “That’s really flattering and all, but has anyone ever told you you’re kind of stupid sometimes?”

... Huh? “What do you mean?” Keith asked, frowning.

“Let’s just go back. I think you’ll see what I mean,” he winked.

They made their way back to group in silence. The door had barely even opened before Keith found himself being crushed under Hunk’s massive arms. Keith awkwardly patted his friend’s back, mostly so he’d let go so that he could _breathe_ again, but the second he did Allura was hugging his shoulders in his place. Even Pidge gave him a hug, and peered up at him in concern.

“Can we _please_ get you cleaned up finally?” she asked. “You look awful.”

“Yeah,” Keith agreed. “Sorry, Pidge.”

The last to approach was Lance, which resulted in more of an awkward stare-down. They certainly felt like they should hug, but did they want to, or would they let themselves? Those were different questions.

“Look man,” Lance fumbled. “I think I owe you an apology.”

That... was certainly news to Keith. “For what?”

“Thing is... I’m not really sure how I feel about Red sometimes. Like, she’s really cool? But most of the time I just want to go back to Blue. But the more I fly with you, the more I realize she’s actually kinda important to me too, because it’s my job to support you now. You’re... kind of a crappy leader sometimes, but you’re like... _Our_ crappy leader. I thought with Shiro around again we could go back to how it used to be, but... I guess we can’t. I’m your right hand now, and I should’ve been supporting you more, even if it meant standing up to Shiro or his weird clone. So... I’m sorry, man.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no way any of us could have known,” Keith pointed out.

“Will you just shut up and accept my stupid apology?” Lance snapped, and threw his arms around him.

... Uh, okay. This was a thing that was happening. Keith didn’t know what else to do, so he just gave him an incredibly awkward pat on the back.

When Lance finally stepped back, Keith was smiling. He felt warmer than he had in a very long time. This... wasn’t just a team, it was a family, and he loved all of them. He just wasn’t sure why it had taken him so long to realize that they loved him, too. ... Matt was right. He _was_ kind of stupid sometimes.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do from here on,” he said quietly, “but Shiro is out there somewhere. ... We’re going to find him this time.”

Maybe this wasn’t the right priority to have in the middle of the war. Maybe they should have just forgotten about him. Somewhere inside, Keith knew that Shiro wouldn’t want them to find him at anyone’s expense, on certainly not on the expense of the universe. But... Keith still couldn’t give up on him.

And everyone else? They knew they couldn’t give up on Keith. He was their leader now, and while he may have still been learning and struggling, they were finally learning that they needed to stay by his side. ... They needed him as much as he needed them. It was a feeling they’d all shared with Shiro, and one they hadn’t quite felt again since he disappeared. But it was back now, and things were finally starting to feel right again.

All they needed was one final piece, and then they could be whole again. Maybe then, they could finally end this war for good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that got a lot more long-winded than I anticipated XD I hope you all enjoyed the conclusion! I originally got the idea for this from the S4 trailers and tried to go my own direction with it, but since it's obviously going to depart from canon so much already, I don't have any sequels or anything planned. I already feel weird enough being That Person writing a character that doesn't even have a canon personality yet. I'm interested so see how well this holds up, though, even if it is prreeeeeeettty darn unlikely it will


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